TOPIC: Recover Deleted Files?

Is it possible to recover deleted files from FCPX?
I've looked in Backups and from the date concerned it just shows the missing files red windows.
I've tried relinking but again all I see is the missing files red windows.
I finished a project a little while ago and sent the client everything that was asked for.
In between time I've deleted the original media and render files to free up space on my computer, etc.
It wasn't the sort of project whereby I was expecting them to come back or the sort of footage I would save on a hard drive as I had no need of it.
But now they've come back and asked for something else.
So, I was wondering whether there is any possibility of recovering the files or not?
It doesn't sound hopeful but I thought I'd double check first.
Thanks.

Are you trying to recover the actual original media that was deleted? FCP needs to link to something. When you originally imported the media, did you choose "Leave in place" or "In library".

If you were editing with the files kept in place and then you deleted those files, might not be much hope. But maybe someone else has ideas. Maybe you have a back up of original media you could relink somehow?

Finbo wrote: Thanks for your response.
On Preferences, I have imported files set to leave in library.
Unfortunately, I can't seem to relink to anything on the backup date in question.

The import options are "copy to library" and "leave files in place". For the deleted data, how were the files imported?

If data ingest used "copy to library" there is nothing to relink -- the files are inside the library and recovering that requires recovering the library.

If data ingest used "leave files in place", if those could be recovered then relink might be possible -- IF the version of the library you have is the one used with those files. The SQL database in the library has pointers to the symlinks in the library, and those symlinks in turn point to the files. The pointers apparently consist of both path info to each symlink also the file's inode, which is a path-independent locator that works within a given disk volume. FCPX seems to normally access the files by path but uses inode as a fallback in case the path or symlinks are missing or incorrect. That fallback algorithm only works if the files are somewhere on the original disk volume and were not deleted then restored (which would give them a different inode).

The symlinks can be rebuilt via relink, provided the file and metadata attributes of each media file matches the metadata stored in the SQL database. IOW the restored files must have the same frame rate, pixel aspect ratio, audio config and timecode.

There is also a manual method described as "proxy cheat" which can also be used on non-proxy media files to rebuild symlinks by creating aliases. However this does not work with 100% reliability and it requires the pointers in the SQL database to already be there and have matching file info and metadata about each media file:
www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/tutorials/1828-...ant-by-using-aliases

But the pointers within the SQL database cannot be manually rebuilt. This 1st step in the two-link chain to the files can only be rebuilt by relink or via the automatic fallback process using the stored inode of each file. Deleted files which are restored will receive a different inode so that process will not work, but in theory relink should be possible if the files are identical to those deleted.

Actually if the same files are restored to the exact same drive and location as originally used, relink should not be necessary as the symlinks should already be pointing to those locations.

If relink does not work there is something different about the files or else the library is not the same version used with those files originally.